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399
19
TRIZ
Steven F. Ungvari 
19.1WHAT IS TRIZ?
Nominally, TRIZ is a Russian language acronym for the Russian words
teoriyaresheniya izobretatelskikh zadatch,
which can be translated into
the theory of thesolution of inventive problems.
This title is somewhat of a misnomer, because TRIZhas moved out of the realm of theory and into a bona fide, scientifically basedmethodology. The development, evolution, and refinement of TRIZ have consumedsome 50 years of rigorous, empirically based analysis by some of the brightestscientific minds of the 20th century.Nevertheless, the whole notion of creativity and innovation mentioned in thecontext of science makes for an unusual pairing. Innovation and creativity aretypically thought of as spontaneous phenomena that happen in a capricious andunpredictable way in the vast majority of people. Historically, only a precious fewindividuals, such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Henry Ford, and ThomasEdison, seem to have possessed an innate natural ability for creativity and inven-tiveness.The name, the theory of the solution of inventive problems, implies that inno-vation and creative thought in the context of problem solving are supported by anunderlying construct and an architecture that can be deployed on an as-needed basis.The implications of such a theory, if true, are enormous because it suggests that layindividuals can elevate their creative thinking capabilities by orders-of-magnitude.
19.2THE ORIGINS OF TRIZ
The inventor of TRIZ was Genrich Altshuller, a Russian (1926
–
1998). Altshullerbecame interested in the process of invention and innovative thinking at an earlyage. He patented a device for generating oxygen from hydrogen peroxide at the ageof 14. Altshuller
’
s fascination with inventions and innovation continued throughStalin
’
s regime and World War II. After the war, Altshuller was assigned as a patentexaminer in the Department of the Navy. As such, Altshuller often found himself helping would-be inventors solve various problems with their inventions. In duecourse, Altshuller become fascinated with the study of inventions. In particular,Altshuller was interested in understanding how the minds of inventors work. Hisinitial attempts were psychologically based, but these probes provided little if anyinsight on how creativity could be engineered.Altshuller then turned his attention to studying actual inventions and in a sensereverse-engineering them to understand the essential engineering problem being
© 2002 by CRC Press LLC
 
400
The Manufacturing Handbook of Best Practices
solved and the elegance of the solution as described in the patent application. Itshould be noted that in the former Soviet Union patent applications (called authorscerti
fi
cates [ACs]) were concise documents no more that three or four pages inlength. The author certi
fi
cate consisted of a descriptive title of the invention, aschematic of the new invention, a rendering of the current design, the purpose of the invention, and a description of the solution.
19.2.1A
LTSHULLER
’
S
F
IRST
D
ISCOVERY
The brevity of the certi
fi
cates facilitated analysis, cataloguing, and mapping solutionsto the problems. As the number of inventions he scrutinized grew, Altshuller uncoveredsimilar patterns of solutions for similar problems. This was a remarkable discoverybecause it essentially paved the way for a scienti
fi
c, standardized way to approach aproblem and to incorporate a latent knowledge base as an integral element of the solutionprocess. In other words, Altshuller discovered that similar technological problems gaverise to similar patents. This phenomenon was repeated in widely disparate engineeringdisciplines at different periods of time and in geographically dispersed areas.The logical conclusion reached by Altshuller was that the possibility existed of creating a mechanism for describing types of problems and subsequently mappingthem with types of solutions. This discovery led to just such a mechanism, whichconsisted of the 39 typical engineering parameters, the contradiction matrix, and the40 inventive principles. These tools are covered in more detail later in the chapter.
19.2.2A
LTSHULLER
’
S
S
ECOND
D
ISCOVERY
Altshuller
’
s second enlightening discovery was made as he assembled chronologicaltechnology maps. Altshuller uncovered an unmistakable, explicit regularity in the evo-lution of engineered systems. Altshuller described these time-based phenomena in hislectures and writings as
The Eight Laws of Engineered Systems Evolution.
The term
laws
does not imply that Altshuller de
fi
ned them as conforming to a strict scienti
fi
cconstruction, as in the
fi
elds of physics or chemistry. The laws, though general in nature,are nevertheless recognizable and predictable; more importantly, they provide a roadmap to future derivatives. Today, these eight laws have been re
fi
ned and expanded intomore than 400 sublines of evolution and are useful in technology development, productplanning, and the establishment of defensible patent fences.
19.2.3A
LTSHULLER
’
S
T
HIRD
D
ISCOVERY
The third truism that emerged from Altshuller
’
s analytical work was the realizationthat inventions are vastly different in their degrees of inventiveness. Indeed, manyof the patents that Altshuller studied were
fi
led simply to describe a system andprovide some degree of protection. These patents were useless in Altshuller
’
s deter-mination to discover the secret of how to become an inventor of the highest order.To differentiate inventiveness, Altshuller devised a scale of 1 to 5 for categorizingthe elegance of the solution (see Figure 19.1). Note that only level 3 and 4 solutions are deemed to be inventive. Within thebody of TRIZ knowledge,
inventive
means that the solution was one that did not
© 2002 by CRC Press LLC
 
TRIZ
401
compromise con
fl
icting requirements. For example, strength vs. weight is an exam-ple of con
fl
icting parameters. To increase strength, the engineer will typically makesomething thicker or heavier. An inventive solution would increase strength with noadditional weight or even a reduction in weight.
19.2.4A
LTSHULLER
’
S
L
EVELS
 
OF
I
NVENTIVENESS
19.2.4.1Level 1: Parametric Solution
A parametric solution uses well-known methods and parameters within an engineer-ing
fi
eld or specialty. This is the lowest level solution and is not an inventive solution.For example, the problem of roads and bridges icing over can be solved by usingsalt or sand, or by plowing. Calculating stress on a cantilevered structure is accom-plished by using well-known mathematical formulas.
19.2.4.2Level 2: Signi
fi
cant Improvement in the Technology Paradigm
Level 2 is a signi
fi
cant improvement in the system, utilizing known methods possiblefrom several engineering disciplines. Although a level 2 solution is a signi
fi
cantimprovement over the previous system, it is not inventive.A level 2
 
solution of the icing problem would be required if conventional meanswere prohibited. This type of solution demands a choice between several variantswhich leaves the original system essentially intact. The roadways or bridges, forexample, could be formulated or coated with an exothermic substance that wouldbe triggered at a certain temperature.
19.2.4.3Level 3: Invention within the Paradigm
Level 3 eliminates con
fl
icting requirements within a system, utilizing technologiesand methods within the current paradigm. A level 3 solution is deemed to be inventive
FIGURE 19.1
Levels of inventiveness.
LevelNature ofSolutionNumber ofTrials to Findthe SolutionOrigin ofThe Solution% of Patentsat This Level1ParametricNone to FewThe Designer'sField of Specialty32%2SignificantImprovement inParadigmTen to FiftyWithin a Branchof Technology45%3InventiveSolution inParadigmHundredsSeveral Branchesof Technology18%4InventiveSolution Outof ParadigmThousands toTens ofThousandsFrom Science-Physical/ChemicalEffects4%5True DiscoveryMillionsBeyondContemporaryScience1%
© 2002 by CRC Press LLC
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